Car-door construction.



UNITED, s'r Tns PATENT OFFICE. v

303E111? :ejmwIN, OEROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

oAivDoor. CONSTRUCTION.

To all whom; it ma concern: g

Be it'known that I, ROBERT: B. IRWIN, a citizen of the -United States, residing at Rochestenin the countyof Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door Constructions, of which the following is a specification. y I

This invention relates to sliding doors which are particularly adapted for use in railway express or mail cars andits object is to so construct this door that neither ice, snow nor water can lnterfere with the proper working thereof.

With this and other objects in view this invention presents a novel construction comprising a combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully illustrated in the drawing described in the specification and pointed out in the claim at the end thereof.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of the door looking at it from the inside.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the door looking at it from the outside.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the door and the side of the car on which the door is mounted to slide, the section being taken on the line 3" x on Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the side of the car on which the door is mounted to slide, the section being taken on the lines 49 4" of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the lower corners of the door.

In the several figures of the drawing like reference numerals indicate like parts.

The construction of the doors which are now in use in railway express or mail cars is such that ice, snow or water will quickly interfere with the proper working of the door. For this reason thedoor construction embodying this invention comprises a sliding door 1 which is suspended at the top by the hangers 2 and 3 from the rail 4 which in turn is supported on the inner side of the car. It will be seen from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4: that the whole weight of the door rests on the brackets or hangers 2 and 3 which for this purpose are provided with suitable rollers which roll on top of the rail 4. and permit the door to freely slide from one side to the other into its opened or closed position.

The lower end of the door 1 projects into angular slot 9 cut into the sill Specification'of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 18, 1919, Application filed February 18, 1918. Serial No. 217,887.

a slot 5 provided in a sill 6 of the car. This slot passes through the whole thickness of the sill as shown in Fig. 3 and the sides thereof are reinforced by a series of cross bars 7, 7 which extend at suitable intervalsintoits opened or closed position and keeps 1t ln'astralght l1ne movement.

The slot 5 extends only the full length of the opening in the side of the car which is provided for the door and the continuation thereof is formed by a channel 8 which is in line with the slot 5 and is also provided in the sill of the car. A horizontal or slightly 6 on the outside thereof terminates at the bottom of channel 8 and forms a drain therefor. The slot 9 is closed on the outside by means of the swinging shutter 10 which is mounted on the outside of the sill 6 and is normally held tight against the side of the sill by the locking dog 11.

The fact that the slot 5 is open at the bottom makes it impossible for ice or snow or even dirt to accumulate therein.

For this reason the run way formed by the slot 5 is always free from any obstruction and permits the door to freely slide therein. To still further eliminate the possibility of clogging up the run way of the door the lower outside edge thereof is serrated as shown in Fig. 5 and ice or snow which is liable to freeze on the outer side of the slot 5 is scraped olf by these serrations when the door is opened or closed. The particles that are scraped oil on the inside of the slot drop through it and fall to the ground on the outside of the car.

The end of the door 1 when closed is adapted to project into the vertical groove 12 which runs the full height of the car door and terminates in the slot 5 at the bottom, so that the snow or ice which deposits in this groove will also drop down and out through the sill to the outside of the car.

The groove 12 if desired may be lined on each side with a suitable lining between which the end of the door 1 is adapted to rest when in its closed position. The groove forms a joint between the side of the car and the door which is made almost water-tight by the linings above referred to. The channel 8 provided on the inside of the car forms a continuation of the slot 5. This channel has the drain slot 9 provided therein in order to allow the snow or water which may accumulate therein to pass out therefrom so as to keep the channel 8 free from any sediment which may form an obstruction to the door that is adapted to slide therein.

The outside of the slot 9 is normally closed by the shutter 10 which is held against the side of the sill by the locking dog 11. When it is desired to drain the channel 8 as above pointed out the locking dog 11 is turned aside to release the shutter 10 which is then adapted to swing away from the slot 9 and permit the water to pass therethrough to the outside of the car.

reeaeee I clain1- The combination of a car having a door opening in the side thereof, a sill provided at the bottom of saidcar with a slot cut into it below said door opening, said sill having a channel forming a continuation of said slot also cut therein with a horizontal slot leading out of the channel to the outside of said sill, acar door, having a series of triangular grooves cut into the lower end and on the outside thereof, suspended on the inside of said car and projecting into the slot and channel in said sill, the triangular grooves in said door projecting slightly above said sill to keep the slot in said sill partially open when said door is suspended therein.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT E. IRlVlN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. (3. 

